Shadow of Israphel
by webursey
Summary: Based off the hit youtube series Shadow of Israphel, this narrative version of the story follows Exephos and Honeydew in their quest to thwart the great evil of the cult of Israphel. Feedback is appreciated so please comment. T is just to be safe, but there's really only mild language in it.
1. Chapter 1: Stranded

Chapter one: Stranded.

The waves lapped softly at the beach shore. The ragged man stood, dazed, but unhurt. With blurry vision, he surveyed his surroundings. All was normal, yet not normal at the same time. Trees, grass, the sky with a bright glowing sun, but something was off. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision, and when he opened them, the scene had changed. The abnormality was clear now. Everything was square, cubical. Everything measured with perfect accuracy to create a landscape of poorly textured boxes. He climbed a small rise, and the landscape revealed itself. It was beautiful, yet strange. He felt haunted by its emptiness. It seemed almost completely barren, and void of life.

How had he gotten here? What was he doing in this strange land? He searched his memory. He was in a ship, small and lonely, sailing alone in the endless sea. The crew was asleep. All the water, so frigid and painful as it covered him. He was sinking, falling, freezing. Drowning. He let the thought go. Thinking was giving him a headache. He bent to the ground and cupped some of the water in his hand. It moved strangely. Almost like a solid mass. He drank several handfuls before standing to look around. There was a figure lying on the beach behind him.

He ran to the figure. Was he injured? He searched his brain. What should he do? He bent over to feel for a pulse. It was very strong. Then the figure snored. He was asleep. The man rolled him over and a memory flashed through his mind. The sleeping man was dressed as a dwarf. What was his name? Honeydew! He had been a passenger on the same ship. He must have floated ashore. The man wound up to smack him when the dwarf opened his eyes.

"Oh hello Exephos, I don't suppose we've arrived at our destination yet?" The dwarf asked him. Exephos? Who was Exephos? He was Exephos. Wasn't he?

"We've arrived somewhere," He replied. "The question is, where?"

The dwarf sat up and looked around. He seemed confused for a moment, and then his eyes lit with recognition. "I've heard of this place! It's called, Minecraftia."

"Minecraftia?" asked Exephos. He had never heard such a strange name for a place in all his years. He turned to Honeydew with a questioning look that was quickly increased as Honeydew stood and punched a block of dirt. It popped like a balloon and a much smaller version landed on the ground, before flying to Honeydew's hand. Honeydew then walked a few feet, and placed it, causing it to return to its original size. Exephos was puzzled.

"Doesn't this give you an idea?" asked Honeydew. "We could build a shelter!" At that moment Exephos finally caught on. He looked to the sky. The cubical sun was at about midday. "We've got to build a shelter before night." Honeydew continued.

"Why before night?" asked Exephos.

"Well," replied Honeydew, "at night, bad things happen." Exephos left it at that and strolled up to a tree. He punched at it for a moment and sure enough, a smaller log burst out. "Now," said Honeydew, "You pull it apart!" He then grabbed the log from Exephos' hand and began to struggle with it. In a second it had burst into four blocks of wood planks.

"Amazing," replied Exephos. He was baffled by Honeydew's knowledge of this strange world. "How do you know all this?"

"My grandfather explored this land when he was young like me." Honeydew seemed okay to Exephos. He was almost constantly in good spirits and was even now grinning and laughing, even though he was stranded in some unknown land. For the next solid hour they punched trees, and broke the logs into planks. It was easy work, if not fun. After a short while they had built themselves a small shack. And just in time, for even now the sun was setting over the horizon. Suddenly Honeydew became serious. "Inside, now!" he commanded. They rushed inside and honeydew quickly forced some planks into a door. He placed it down in the doorway, then pulled some fluffy white material from his pocket and built it with more planks into a cozy looking bed. He placed it before building another and placing it across the room from his.

"What was that white stuff?" asked Exephos.

"Wool." replied Honeydew. "I got it from some sheep, and that's what she said" He then lay down in his bed. "Better get some sleep. The sooner its morning the sooner we can build a bigger house. He then closed his eyes and began to snore. Exephos lay down in his bed too, but couldn't seem to doze off. He kept thinking he heard noises outside. Strange moans and clattering noises. He lay up until midnight, silently listening to the sounds, and finally, just as he began to think he would never get to sleep, he did.

The morning came too soon and Exephos awoke with sleep in his eyes, and sweat on his brow. Honeydew was still asleep and Exephos decided to leave him that way. He exited the house and remembered his dream. He had dreamed that he was being chased by a pale man in a suit. It had been strange. He began to punch a tree when his eye caught a strange creature beside the shore. It was tall and green with no arms and four stubby legs. It stared at him with a scowl seemingly set into its face. It then began to move toward him with a growing hiss and cruel look increasing with every second. The hiss had reached almost unbearable volume when Honeydew leaped out of nowhere and punched the beast into the water where it exploded violently. Exephos' eyes widened and the realization of what had almost happened to him finally dawned. "What was that thing?" he asked weakly.

"It's called a creeper." Replied Honeydew, wheezing and out of breath, "And it's very dangerous! Now go punch some trees and try not to die." Exephos obeyed. Honeydew had saved his life and he was in no argumentative mood after that experience. He worked his way up the hill, chopping down trees as he went. He finished one tree and as he turned to cut another, he saw Honeydew, chopping quickly through the plant with a wooden axe.

"Nice axe. Do you have another?" asked Exephos.

"Sure, here" Replied honeydew, handing him one. With his axe in hand he again began to chop trees with speed much greater than before. In a short while, all the trees on the hillside had been removed, and they moved toward the peak. Over the small hill they both saw how extensive this land truly was. The mountains and plains, lakes and trees, all stretched away until they disappeared into the fog.

"Look over there!" Exephos exclaimed. Honeydew looked and saw an unusual cave, unlike any that would exist near a field in the real world. It was small, with a slightly low roof, perfect for renovating into a large house. The two castaways stepped inside to see a large open ended cavern with an expansive skylight in the top, protruding from the top of the mountain.

"It will do perfectly!" said Honeydew with almost childish delight. "Let's prepare our things. We will begin building tomorrow! For now, we need to return to the house. It's getting dark again. Come along friend!" Honeydew then strolled off in the direction of the house. He really was a pleasant dwarf. Friendly and good hearted. He seemingly wanted to be friends with everyone. Exephos followed him. He reached the door just as the sun disappeared over the horizon. He latched it shut, then turned to Honeydew. He looked horribly frightened.

"What is it friend? It's just me." Then he heard it. A loud, threatening hiss filled the room. He grabbed some wood from his pocket and quickly built a wall, dividing the room in half. The explosion was only half blocked by the wall, and the two were rocketed through the back of their hut. The impact on the dirt was painful. The two pulled themselves from the ground and dug a small hole into the hill. They pressed their backs against the wall and began to devise a simple strategy. Run like hell to the cave and hope not to die.

"Alright," Honeydew grunted, "on three. One." Exephos tensed. "Two." He closed his eyes tightly. "Three!" The two broke cover and sprinted off in the direction of the cave. As they ran, Exephos saw the very horrors that Honeydew had warned him of the previous day. The walking dead. Blood covered zombies, Bow wielding skeletons, and horrifically large spiders, all chasing them. Also, the occasional creeper was seen amongst the fray of carnage. The monstrosities piled over one another to reach the pair. They dashed into the cave and quickly filled both entrances with planks. They were safe. Suddenly a violent crack filled the room. A skeleton had leaped down the hole above and crashed to its death on the stone floor. The two retreated to a section of the cave with a roof. They had made it. With giddy excitement, the two laughed, long and loud. The relief of surviving the horde was almost heart stopping. They had taken on the beasts of the night, and won. Then Exephos felt the pain. He turned to see an arrow protruding from his lower back. He fell to the ground, sweating profusely. He felt a numbness filling his body.

"Oh god!" exclaimed Honeydew, "You've been shot! I'll be back in a moment. He opened a small hole in the planks, and disappeared. Exephos lay still. The pain was excruciating. He tried to move his legs and discovered that, although the wound was bad, his spine wasn't shattered. The damage wasn't permanent. He reached back and pulled on the arrow. It burned like fire, but eventually, the shot came loose. He laid it beside himself and returned his head to the ground. Suddenly he noticed the blood on his hand. It was a large amount. Thick and red. He chuckled. He didn't know why, but he chuckled. The chuckle became a mad laugh. He was laughing insanely when the darkness overcame him and he passed out.

"Hello! Exephos! Wake up friend!" Exephos awoke with a start and shot up into a sitting position. "Whoa!" exclaimed Honeydew. "Calm down man! You've had a bad shock. You're going to be fine. Exephos remembered the wound and turned to look. No bandage or stitches. The wound was just, gone.

"What happened?" asked Exephos.

"You passed out from blood loss. Don't you know never to pull out a sharp object from the wound? You'll lose blood!"

"Well friend, I wasn't exactly able to think straight under the circumstances. I kind of lost it. So where did the wound go?"

"I fixed it with pork!" After this comment there was a long awkward silence before Exephos burst out laughing.

"You fixed it with what?" he asked between giggles.

"I'm not kidding man!" Honeydew choked out. For now he was laughing too. "In this place, eating heals wounds. Now, you're better and its morning, so get up and let's start building.

Exephos stood from the bed, probably built by Honeydew and looked around. He had been busy while Exephos was out in shock. The roof was filled with planks and there was a door. In the walls there was a furnace, a workbench, and a couple chests. The room was lit by torches, strongly aflame. Exephos stood and looked in the chests. They contained tools, coal, wood, and cobble stone. The large house was packed to the brim with necessities. A large, cobblestone tower rose into the sky above them, an edited version of the skylight that had naturally occurred in the cave before renovation. The smell of cooking pork filled the room with a feeling of home.

"What's left to do friend?" asked Exephos.

"I don't know." Honeydew replied.

"Yes friend, It appears you know what you're doing here." Exephos said in awe Exephos.

"Well, my dwarven ancestors explored this land many years ago. My grandfather taught me a thing or two about building." Honeydew boasted.

"He taught you well friend. What now?" questioned Exephos once again.

"Well," Stated Honeydew matter-of-factly, "it seems we will be living the good life for a while."


	2. Chapter 2: Trial of the Pyramid

Chapter Two: The trial of the Pyramid.

Exephos stared intensely at the wall. Its flat stone seemed to have a feeling of smugness about it. It was as though the stone was speaking and saying, "You foolish mortals! You are weak with your tools and wits. I am the indestructible stone! You'll never break me!" It was for this reason that Exephos was hesitant to begin mining it. The stone kept its imaginary smirk.

"What are we waiting for friend?" asked Honeydew as he strolled up and began to mine. The silly image left Exephos' head and he joined his friend. He didn't know why he kept imagining silly things like this. Perhaps it was sheer boredom, for being stranded is not the most entertaining thing, even in a world of breakable blocks. So now they had decided to find new occupation in mining for materials. The mine would be a simple three by three tunnel, as deep as they could handle.

The tunnel was simple to mine. The stone gave way after a couple hits, and popped into its portable form, but riddled with cracks. This, cobble stone, as Honeydew had told Exephos, could later be cooked to recreate its smooth partner. It was a slow process to build anything large, but flattening out the walls of the cave was no large feat. After a few hours of downward digging and returning to the surface to cook the stone and flatten the walls with it, they grew bored with mining the stone uneventfully. Then, that changed. Honeydew heard it first. The sound of flames, and clattering bones echoed through their tunnel. They began to mine in the direction of the sound. They then broke through the wall.

The dampness of the mossy ground broke through their shoes and soaked their feet. In the center of the small room they had just entered there was a strange cage. It was flaming intensely, but the flames let off no light. Instead, it seemed that the fire drew in the light, darkening the small cubical area. In the cage, untouched by the flames, was a small spinning skeleton, wielding its bow. It spun quickly, increasing in speed slowly.

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and the cave was filled with a clatter of bones. A skeleton was suddenly beside them. Its skinless face turned to them emotionlessly, and its empty eye sockets stared with a lifeless feeling of menace. It began to draw its bow and placed an arrow in place. Exephos shivered at the thought of another arrow embedding itself in his skin. He closed his eyes and waited to be struck. Suddenly he was yanked by the shoulder back through the tunnel. Honeydew had grabbed him and thrown his pick into the skull of his skeletal foe with an ear splitting crack.

The pair sped up the narrow passage and just as they turned the corner, another skeleton appeared from the cage and fired its arrow, narrowly missing Exephos. The two sprinted blindly, stumbling over the edges of blocks. After what seemed like an eternity of climbing the stairs of the shaft, they saw light, and sped into the safety of the Yog cave. With great speed, Honeydew reached into a nearby chest and grabbed a newly crafted iron sword. He then put his back to the wall, just out of view of the tunnel. Exephos, catching on to what the possible plan could be, stood right in front of the shaft.

"Are we doing what I think we're doing?" asked Exephos.

"Don't move." Replied Honeydew.

Suddenly the skeleton rounded the corner, staring silently at its prey. With a blank, dead menace in its unchanging face. It drew an arrow from its quiver, but instead of loading it into the bow it approached Exephos slowly, preparing to stab him.

"Friend, you'd better be ready for him! He's walking up to me! Get ready! NOW!" Upon the command, Honeydew swung his sword with amazing strength, and decapitated the foe with one swing, before kicking him down the stairs of the mine shaft. He then returned to the chest, and grabbed an iron pickaxe. With it he sprinted to the bottom of the mineshaft, followed close behind by Exephos. Once in the room, he began to mine the strange box, and before long it broke, dropping nothing.

"Well," said Honeydew exasperatedly, "That was a small nightmare." Suddenly they heard an evil chuckle from up the tunnel. They turned, and saw a pale face, with a set scowl. Even when grinning evilly, he seemed hateful. Suddenly he flew with inhuman speed up the tunnel, as if he was smudging the fabric of reality, then reconnecting it at the other end of the smudge. As he disappeared from sight another cruel chuckle was heard. The two exchanged a quick look of concern, and chased after him.

Up in the Yog cave, a small volley of arrows narrowly missed Exephos' feet. He leaped back with a screech of fright, and returned to the safety of the tunnel. The tables had been turned. The construction of their home was now acting as cover for this unknown foe. They couldn't get in without some weapon. Honeydew reached out carefully to grab an arrow from the large quantity of enemy fire embedded in the ground just outside the mineshaft. He then reached for a chest and pulled a bow from it, and retreated to the tunnel again to avoid more arrows. He pulled the arrow into the bow, and prepared for a shot.

"You've only got one shot at this friend. No pressure!" Exephos then returned to the back of the tunnel to avoid an attempted punch from his friend. Honeydew then aimed again, and let the arrow fly. It struck the pale man in the chest, with a spray of dust. The man pulled the arrow out, and dust began to pour from the wound. The man was silent. His face twisted into a cruel snarl and he disappeared out the wall of the tower.

"After him!" shouted Honeydew.

Are you sure we should be chasing after the foe that nearly killed us only moments ago?" Exephos asked cautiously.

"If we kill him now, he will not be able to cause trouble again!" reasoned Honeydew in response to Exephos' cowardly thinking.

Exephos couldn't argue. He just nodded, and followed Honeydew up the stairs around the tower. As they reached the hole in the tower wall, they realized that something was very wrong. A path of stone pillars had been built with torches on them, disappearing into the distance.

"We follow them!" Honeydew commanded.

"Friend, I don't know if that's the best idea." Exephos said unsurely.

"Listen, Exephos," Honeydew stated, exasperated, "you are a pussy. That is all there is to it. I like you man, but you being cowardly pisses me off sometimes, so shut up and follow me, or stay here, and stay out of my way!" Exephos didn't know how to respond to this. He couldn't recall Honeydew ever being angry before. "Are you going to follow me?" Exephos nodded meekly.

As they jogged down the path, the pillars got more and more common, and were decorated by surrounding fungus and brutal carvings. The carvings got more and more realistic until they looked like they could jump from the pillars, then there was ice. There was nothing but an expansive frozen ocean, and off in the distance they saw another gathering of the pillars, and within was a small pyramid. They strolled toward the building, and found that as they came closer, they hear the noise of fire, and something boiling.

They arrived at the pyramid and strolled around to the far side, where they found a door. Within was a boiling pit of magma, dotted with small stone blocks, as though it was build to tempt them to cross to the other side. On the far platform were three chests.

"What do you suppose is in them?" asked Exephos.

"We'll soon find out!" replied Honeydew. "I'll jump across and tell you what's in them, then bring it back. He jumped three blocks and his leg dipped into the lava to be gruesomely incinerated. "Oh god!" cried Exephos. Throw me a pork chop!

Exephos reached into his pocket, and his stomach sank. "I have none left friend!" he yelled back.

"Well go get me some you idiot! My leg is gone here. I'm stranded in the middle of a magma lake you ass."

Exephos ran out of the pyramid and looked around. No pigs. Why were there never any pigs when he needed them? He sprinted out over the ice and finally arrived at land, only to find a much needed swine to butcher. Thank god. He grabbed one and stabbed it with his iron blade. It squealed and squirmed for a few moments, before dying, and being dismembered by Exephos, providing plenty of pork.

He arrived back at the pyramid and looked for honeydew. He lay unconscious on the block. Suddenly he began to slide slowly into the boiling magma. As he fell, his limbs were incinerated. Exphos couldn't afford to be careful. He sprinted over the blocks to his friend, and then threw him to a bigger platform. Honeydew was safe. Exephos jumped to him and shook him awake.

"Oh hello there Exephos. I don't suppose I have any legs, do I?"

"You will in a moment," Replied Exephos, "and be more careful, you almost died!"

Honeydew took a bite of a raw pork chop and chewed slowly. Exephos watched in amazement as his legs slowly reformed, first bone, then muscle and flesh. It was indeed a gruesome sight, but at least the legs were back. Honeydew stood, and tested them out. They seemed to work fine. It was amazing.

The pair leaped across the magma, more carefully this time, and arrived at the far platform.

"Do you want to open them, or should I?" asked Honeydew.

"By all means, go ahead."

Honeydew lifted the lid of the chest on the far right. "Oh my god, it's amazing!" cried Honeydew excitedly.

"What, what is it?" asked Exephos

"This chest contains: a spider web, and three torches."

"Oh my god, are you serious?"

"The next chest contains: One, stone sword, and a leather cap! Oh it's so amazing!" Honeydews sarcasm was obvious now. "And the third contains… A strange map. What could this be? It shows this pyramid, and just west of here, is a large bridge. How unusual."

Exephos took the map and stared at it. "Who do you think built all this stuff?" He asked.

"I don't know," replied honeydew, "but I think the logical thing to do is follow that bridge" He then turned, and began to jump the blocks again, and head out of the pyramid.

Exephos had no choice but to follow him. He was nice but he could be a little bossy. But you just wanted to listen to him. Exephos turned and followed.


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Terrorvale

Chapter Three: Welcome to Terrorvale

Exephos ran to catch up with Honeydew. He was moving at a brisk pace, and was relentless in finding the bridge. They sprinted across the ice with breathtaking speed toward the supposed location of the crossing. They were running uneventfully, when the bridge structure appeared from the ever present fog.

"There it is!" exclaimed Honeydew, "Let's go!"

"Wait... Honeydew!" wheezed Exephos. He was out of breath, what remaining energy he possessed now drained from his body. The run was exhausting at best, and he had barely managed to keep up with The dwarf. "What's the hurry? We're so close, and there's no one chasing is or anything. Just slow the hell down!"

Honeydew wandered back slowly. His expression was one of annoyance, which quickly turned to worry as Exephos threw up what pork he had eaten in the last couple of hours. Honeydew was obviously peeved by having to stop once in a while. Perhaps dwarves had natural energy. That could be why they mined so well, but Exephos was no dwarf. He ran out of energy after running for a couple of miles.

"Are you alright? You look like I ran you a bit hard. You going to live?"

"I'll be fine." replied Exephos weakly. "Just slow down once in a while you bugger." He stood up and recomposed himself, before continuing toward the bridge at a leisurely stroll. Honeydew watched for a moment, then followed.

They reached the bridge quickly, and walked to the end where they stepped off the ice, and onto the snowy ground. There was a long thin road leading off into the distance where it disappeared over the hill.

"We should follow it." Said Honeydew. "There's got to be some explanation for this, and I'm guessing it'll be at the end of of this road."

"Let's go then." Replied Exephos." and the two set off once again, this time at a brisk jog. It was clear to both of them that the other wanted some sort of resolution. The end of this road would at least have a clue, and that was all they knew.

As they advanced down the road, the snow began to disappear and was replaced by trees that lined the path, as if decoratively. They began to wonder why such a sinister figure would decorate the path to their doom like this. Perhaps this wasn't the strange man's doing at all. Perhaps there were other people settled here. Their multiple questions were answered when they stepped over a rise, and a man came into view. He had his back to them, and looked to be in his fifties with brown hair and a bald spot on top. His clothes looked well kept, with browns, and faded blues, and he looked friendly enough.

"Hello!" shouted honeydew. "Are you friendly?"

"I mean you no harm!" replied the man. "Come closer. This yelling is unnecessary."

The pair strolled forward slowly, and looked around. To the right of the road was a small village, with a tavern, a blacksmith, and even a small church.

"My god." mumbled Honeydew, "There are settlers here already. I personally hoped it would stay untouched."

"Be thankful we're not alone. There could be some way to contact the world from here. Hell, there could be a woman here."

"My mind is changed."

As they reached the man, he began to speak again. "Hello travellers!" He held out a hand to shake and both Honeydew, and Exephos took it. "The names Old Peculiar, and this is my small hamlet. Welcome."

"It's a pleasure, and a great privilege." exclaimed Exephos, "We thought we were the only ones here, so it's good to see another face."

"Well," replied Old Peculiar, "You two obviously haven't looked around very much. There's all kinds of towns and cities here in Minecraftia! You just have to explore a little. Come now, standing around out here is not the best way to have a conversation, let's head into the village and talk in the tavern."

"Alright, lead the way!" said Honeydew with excitement in his voice, "It has been a while since we've had anything to drink, or a good sturdy roof over our heads, so let's go!"

The trio began to descend the stairs into the village, and looked around. It wasn't a bad looking place, all lit up and cozy. There were rock paths, and a few houses, uninhabited at the time, but there nonetheless. Old Peculiar travelled the path to the tavern and pushed open the door.

Inside a warm fire burned brightly, and there were chairs and tables crafted from stairs, fences, and pressure plates, creations that Exephos and Honeydew had little use for in their cave.

"This seems to be a nice place." Exephos said, "How long has this been here?"

"We settled here about twenty or so years ago." began Old Peculiar. The two sat down in a couple of the chairs and relaxed for his story. "I led the people of this town here from mistral city. We settled in and built our houses. Until then we hadn't had a name for out town, and we decided upon Terrorvale, as this small village is a vale from all the terrors of the outside world. Welcome. Would you care for a bucket of milk?"

"Well that's interesting" said Honeydew

"And yes to the milk, we're both parched." added Exephos.

Old Peculiar disappeared behind the kitchen door of the tavern and Exephos leaned in and got honeydew's attention.

"Do you think we can trust this guy? He asked, "I sure as hell don't understand why, but I don't know if we can feel safe here?"

"Well, that guy seems nice, and I would bet the other residents are just as friendly. We'll be fine, don't worry.

"Here you both are!" said Old Peculiar as he emerged again from the door. Drink up, its better fresh."

The pair lifted the buckets and drank. It was the first drink they'd had in a while besides water, and it was good milk. They drank without stopping until the buckets were empty, and inhaled deeply once finished.

"You two must have been quite thirsty" exclaimed Old Peculiar, "Would you like another round?"

"Perhaps later, I think I'll explore the village for now." replied Exephos

"Speaking of which," continued Honeydew, "Is there anything to do around the here? I would like to meet the other people, and what better way than to help them out a bit?"

"Old Peculiar thought for a moment, then said, "I hear the blacksmith needs assistance. You could try her."

"Her?" asked Honeydew, "In that case I'm off! I haven't seen a woman in at least a month. I think we could help each other out!" He sped out the door, followed slowly by Exephos, who didn't seem quite so ecstatic.

The path outside led straight about twelve blocks, then turned to the right, and entered a building labelled Daisy Duke's Forge. Exephos strolled up to the door of the building to see honeydew dancing about with the woman in his arms. She was blushed and giggling like a madwoman.

"Oh, hello Exephos, I was wondering where you were. This is Daisy, as you may have read on the sign."

"Wow, "said Exephos in awe, "you are gorgeous!"

"Well thank you!" Exclaimed Daisy with a strong Texan accent, "You're not too bad looking yourself. Your friend is quite something!"

"So I hear you need some help." Said Honeydew slyly.

"Aye, but not that kind of help." replied Daisy with a wink, "I need some diamonds, as I'm fresh out, and who better to go get me some than two strong adventurers like you?"

"I'll lead you to the cave." said Old Peculiar who had appeared in the doorway, "It's under ground, so you need to know where to dig. Let's be off now."

The four walked out of the forge, and strolled over to an empty corner of the village. Peculiar produced a stone shovel and dug a two by two hole in the ground.

"Go ahead." Daisy encouraged, "I can't go in there. Spiders you see."

"Ah yes spiders, my favourite. Amazing beings they are!" said Exephos sarcastically.

Honeydew jumped in first without hesitation. Exephos paused on the edge of the hole for a moment before jumping in as well.

The inside of the cave was dark. There really was no better way to put it, as all they could see was never ending dark. Honeydew placed down a torch, and illuminated a small patch of stone, and a tunnel leading into the darkness. From the depths of the tunnel they could hear clattering and low moans, as well as the noises of promised spiders.

"Let's get on with it then!" encouraged Honeydew, "Perhaps Daisy will have a bit of a reward waiting for us when we get back."

The pair began to walk, laying torches at regular intervals, and searching for monsters that could be waiting for them. There wasn't much there, besides coal and iron, and the two began to wonder if they would ever find diamonds. Suddenly, at the depths of the darkness, they saw a faint sparkle. Honeydew sprinted ahead with a laugh, and began to strike at the rock with a stone pick, but the block mined very slowly.

"This is going to take a while." said Honeydew.

"You have to use an iron pickaxe." replied Exephos, "I'll do it."

He strolled ahead and began to strike at the ore with a diamond pick, when a low moan was heard from behind them. The pair turned, and to their horror, saw a small group of zombies shuffling toward them.

Honeydew exclaimed, "You keep mining, I'll deal with these bastards." He drew a stone sword, and took up a defensive stance.

"Wonderful," lamented Exephos, "I can already tell I'm going to love this.


End file.
